Pad Kra Pao (Thai Holy Basil Stir Fry with Beef)

Ingredients:

6 garlic cloves
3 Thai birds' eye chilies, or as many as you can handle
4 tbsp chopped mild red chilies, (see note 1)
5 tbsp julienned mild red chilies
2 tbsp vegetable oil
350g minced beef, regular or lean
2 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
1 tbsp granulated sugar
120ml unsalted beef or chicken stock or water
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
30g Thai holy basil leaves, (substitute Italian basil if not available)
Cooked Jasmine rice to accompany
3 eggs, for fried eggs (1 per person)
Oil for frying the eggs, as needed

For the Prik Nam Pla condiment:
2 Thai chillies, chopped
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp lime juice
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced or chopped

Method:

For the Prik Nam Pla: Combine the chopped Thai chillies and garlic into a small bowl, then add the fish sauce and lime juice. Let this sit while you make the stir fry.

For the Stir Fry: In a mortar, pound the Thai chilies into a fine paste. Add the garlic and the chopped mild chilies and pound into a rough paste.

Place a wok or a large frying pan over high heat, adding about 1 tablespoon of the oil if your beef is lean. Once the wok is very hot, add the beef and spread it out. Sear the beef without moving it until the underside is browned. Toss the beef, and notice how the meat will start to release quite a bit of liquid - keep stir-frying until all of this liquid has evaporated, and the beef starts to sizzle in its own fat. Once the beef is sizzling, allow it to cook without stirring for 15-20 seconds to brown the meat further and develop flavour, then toss, and repeat the browning process 1-2 more times.

Reduce the heat to medium, push the beef to one side of the pan, and if there isn’t much fat in the pan, add a little bit more oil just so there’s enough to fry the garlic. Add the garlic and chilli paste and fry in the oil for 30 seconds until aromatic and the garlic starts to turn golden, and then toss to combine with the beef.

Increase the heat to high and add about half of the stock or water along with the fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper; toss to mix well. Add the julienned mild chilies and toss for 30 seconds; if it’s looking too dry, add more of the stock or water.

Turn off the heat, add the basil and mix just until wilted. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more sugar or fish sauce as needed, and add a little more water or stock if it feels too dry. Set this aside while you fry the eggs.

For the Crispy Fried Eggs: To fry the eggs Thai-style, I recommend cooking them one at a time to prevent them from sticking to each other. There are two options for frying eggs:
For crispy whites and semi-set yolk: Add about 6mm of frying oil to a small non-stick frying pan and set it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the egg and allow the white to bubble. Use a spoon to occasionally baste the top of the egg with oil to cook the yolk. Once the whites are crispy and browned around the edges and the yolk is set to your liking, you can remove it from the pan.
For eggs with crispy whites and runny yolk: Separate the egg white and the egg yolk. Add about a 6mm depth of oil to a small non-stick frying pan and set it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the egg white and let it fry until the edges start to turn brown. Use your spatula to push the middle of the white down to make an indent for the yolk to sit in. Once the egg white is browned around the edges, carefully place the yolk into the indentation, and use a spoon to baste some oil around the edges of the egg yolk to help it stick to the egg white. Remove from the pan and allow to drain.

To serve, set boiled jasmine rice on a plate, spoon the pad kra pao over half of the rice, and top everything with the fried egg. You can then drizzle the prik nam pla on top of the egg when ready to eat.

If desired garnish with a few Thai holy basil leaves and some sliced chilli rounds.